


V for Vampire

by Lieju



Category: Spirou et Fantasio
Genre: Gen, Vampires, platonic friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-12
Updated: 2016-09-12
Packaged: 2018-08-14 16:13:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8020513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lieju/pseuds/Lieju
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Miniatures retold with vampires. Spirou wakes up and can't feel his Fantasio.</p>
            </blockquote>





	V for Vampire

When Spirou opened his eyes, he knew something was horribly wrong.

 

He lay in his bed, in shock, and unable to process why he felt like he had just lost a limb. Like part of him had just been hacked off. He reached out with his mind, calling for Fantasio.

 

And came up with nothing.

 

He couldn't feel him.

 

Spirou stumbled up, fully dressed in his bell hop uniform, and ran outside in a daze and not certain what he was doing.

 

When sunlight hit him, he hissed in pain and stumbled back into the manor. He had been careless, unprepared. And shaken from the blow he had been dealt with.

 

"Fantasio!" he called, desperate.

 

The only answer he got was Spip hopping after him, looking worried.

"I'm fine," Spirou assured his familiar.

He smiled, and could tell his canines had elongated. And just the glance on his arm confirmed he had gone completely pale and bloodless.

He pushed against the panic. He'd have to calm down, try to focus.

 

Find out what had happened to Fantasio.

 

But he couldn't go outside like this. And of course the Count was away too. Just when Spirou could have used the older vampire's help.

 

He tried to calm down, trying to determine how far gone he was. His fangs had re-emerged, and he could feel his body focusing, ready to feed.

 

It shouldn't have been too long since Fantasio had offered him his blood, he should have been able to go on a bit longer, to pretend he was human.

 

Maybe since he had been cut off from Fantasio he had been affected somehow?

 

The thought made him growl in anger. If someone had hurt his Fantasio-

 

He shook his head, trying to focus, trying to avoid such thoughts.

Fantasio wasn't _his._

He was a friend.

 

Spirou stumbled to the manor wine-cellar.

To his relief he found emergency blood-bags stashed in there. He bit in, ignoring the coldness. So unlike biting into a living, breathing human. But it helped, and he could feel the feeding frenzy retreating.

 

At least now he could think.

 

He didn't know for sure Fantasio was-

Well it was possible he was fine, just that their connection had been broken. The Count would probably know, but he had gone on one of his trips and Spirou had no idea how to reach him.

 

He focused on what he _could_ feel.

The link to Spip was still there, and probing a bit he managed to read his familiar's mood.

The squirrel was worried too.

 

Now feeling strong enough to face the bright summer sun Spirou stepped outside. He'd need leads.

 

He dropped on all fours, breathing deep, trying to catch his friend's scent.

 

He could feel his fangs appearing again, but let them, allowing more of that side of him out, hoping it would help him trace the reporter.

 

And there was a faint trail. He unconsciously licked his lips. He could remember the taste of his blood on his lips-

He stood up, trying to push all those thoughts away from his mind.

 

That wasn't why he was searching for him!

 

"Houba!"

 

Spirou turned to see the Marsupilami mimicking him, pushing its nose in the crass.

"Search Fantasio!" Spirou told it, and the animal seemed to get his meaning, running away, following an apparent trail.

 

The bellhop followed, and eventually the Marsupilami stopped.

It looked like it had found something.

 

"Let me see what you're hiding!" Spirou said, and the animal held out the small object.

 

"Wh-what on Earth?"

It was a tiny replica of Fantasio. It had his scent on it, so at least he had been in contact with it. And it really was an impressive piece of work. But where had it come from? It was even wearing the exact same clothes his friend had yesterday, and could it be-

 

Spirou dashed back to the château, the small figurine in hand.

 

It couldn't be!

 

But the paper the small figure was holding was a miniature copy of the yesterday's paper, and as Spirou stared at the tiny, perfect fingerprints, there was only one logical conclusion he could arrive to.

 

It really was Fantasio.

 

"Fantasio?" he called out."Can you hear me?"

 

There was no response. And even when Spirou's forehead gently touched the tiny blond head, he could feel no trace of the telepathic link they had once shared.

 

This couldn't be true!

 

Spirou turner to the Count's bookshelf. Maybe he'd have some ancient tome on this? Spirou was really starting to regret he had never studied all this. He had never been interested, or seen much use in it.

He was a vampire, had always been, but had decided to stay away from people, avoiding any trouble, just keeping it a secret from everyone.

And then he had met Fantasio, and had gotten close to someone...

 

A human.

 

It was Spip's telepathic warning that shook him out of his reverie.

 

But he was too slow, and with horror he saw Marsupilami snatch the tiny reporter and run away with him.

 

"Marsupilami! Bring him back!"

 

The animal didn't listen, thinking it a game, and climbed onto the roof.

Spirou hissed in frustration.

 

Unlike the squirrel or Fantasio, the Marsupilami was not linked to him. So he could not get through to it, or take complete control of it.

 

"Marsupilami!"

Why had he avoided doing that? Fantasio had even suggested it, that he'd bound the creature to himself, just in case, but Spirou had refused.

 

What if Marsupilami would want to return to its home forest eventually? Being bound to a vampire would have meant it would have been forced to live the rest of its life close to him.

 

And the idea of being able to take control from someone was horrifying to Spirou.

But now he found himself wishing he could just do that, make the Marsupilami give his friend back-

 

The animal was startled by a bird, and Fantasio fell.

 

Instinctively, Spirou jumped to catch him.

He hugged the tiny figure. "Are you fine?"

 

No answer. Of course there was none.

 

But if some black magic had turned Fantasio this small, lifeless doll, there _had_ to be magic that could turn him back!

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Spirou slipped in through the window of the closed camera shop, happy that he didn't need a flashlight to see in the dark.

 

He had visited Doctor Stinkweed's house, but while he had been suspicious of him, there had been no trace of Fantasio's scent there, so Spirou decided to take his word for the reporter never showing up there.

 

So he had returned back to where he had bid Fantasio farewell, and followed his trail from there to the small camera shop.

 

The shop had been closed, but that hadn't kept him out, and he had managed to force his way inside. The shop itself was empty but the back room seemed more promising.

He had no idea what a back room like this was supposed to look like, but he was willing to bet it wasn't like this!

 

But he had no idea how to work this to turn his friend back to normal, so he took what notes he could find, and returned to the Champignac manor, planning to wait for the Count.

 

Luckily, he didn't have to wait for long.

 

The old vampire could immediately tell something was wrong. "My boy, what has happened to you?"

 

Spirou dashed to him. "Fantasio! He has-"

 

The Count seemed to understand. "Something happened to him. When have you last fed?"

 

Spirou pushed the miniature on him. "Here! Fantasio has been shrunk! But he'll be fine, won't he?"

 

The Count took the figurine. "Hm, you're saying this is your thrall?"

 

"My _friend_ ," Spirou hissed. "He is no slave or servant."

 

"Ah, of course."

 

Not that the ancient vampire had any human servants himself. Anymore, at least. Spirou had never dared to ask, but he was guessing there were reasons why the residents of Champignac still treated him with suspicion, and that there were vague old tales of his 'ancestors', that were only whispered about.

 

Spirou knew he had had a wife once, a human who had, as humans did, grown old and passed away eventually.

 

But that wouldn't happen to Fantasio. Not today.

 

"Ah, I see..." The Count mumbled.

 

"Can you turn him back?" Spirou asked.

 

The older vampire shook his head. "No."

 

He might have said something after that, but Spirou was already out of the door, and running towards the shop.

 

There was nothing but anger and despair, all logic and rational thought overridden.

So the next thing he really realized he was doing was jumping at Mr Flashback, throwing him in to the ground.

 

One thought stopped him before he sunk his teeth into the man's throat.

 

Maybe there was still hope. Maybe Fantasio could be turned back.

 

"Fantashhio," he hissed, staring at the terrified face.

 

"Wh-what?"

 

Spirou felt himself dragged away from the man.

He turned around, growling, and was faced with an angry face of the old vampire.

"Spirou!"

 

That shook him out of it.

He could feel his features returning to normal, fangs retreating. "I-"

 

"You listen to me!" the Count shook the figurine in front of Spirou. "This is not Fantasio!"

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

After they got an idea of where the amnesiac reporter had ended up, the Count and Spirou headed off.

"So, an amnesia can wipe away the bond between a vampire and a servant," the Count mused. "Hm, not just the amnesia, maybe it's the electric charges in Mr Flashback's machinery..."

 

Spirou looked up from nervously chewing on his glove.

"Could this mean that the bond could be severed?"

 

"Maybe," the Count told him.

 

"I never meant to," Spirou told him. "I never wanted for Fantasio, or any human to be my, _my walking blood bank_!"

 

"He offered his blood to you, did he not?" the older vampire asked, but kept his eyes on the road.

 

"But did he really have a choice? After I had already given him mine and bound him to servitude?"

 

The Count did not answer.

 

* * *

 

 

"Fantasio!"

 

Spirou stopped to stare, a disbelieving look in his eyes.

 

It was Fantasio, but there was an empty look in his eyes, and in general seeming like a wild animal.

And more importantly, the blonde did not feel like his friend.

 

Spirou had really gotten used to being able to feel his presence.

 

Fantasio dashed at him, and the vampire jumped, wrestling him to the ground, doing his best to restrain him.

He even smelled like Fantasio, which only made it even more wrong.

 

"Fantasio! It's me, Spirou!"

Spirou wondered if he had imagined the small hesitation in the man's expression.

But if there had been any trace of a memory, it was soon gone, and he resumed his struggle, trying to claw at Spirou's face.

 

Or what if he _did_ remember him?

What he had done?

And now that he was free...

 

A needle was plunged into Fantasio's neck, and he went quickly limb.

 

Spirou turned to the Count, growling. "What did you do to him?"

 

He was pulled up. "He is just unconscious. Quickly, help me with him before we attract too much attention."

 

 

* * *

 

 

Relieved, Spirou watched sense return to Fantasio's eyes.

 

"What?"

 

Spirou frowned at the fear in his voice. "Fantasio?"

 

The reporter stumbled up from the contraption the Count had used to get his memory back, and stared at the bellhop, not believing his eyes. "You!"

 

Before Spirou could react, he found himself in a hug.

"I couldn't feel you! I thought you were-"

 

He pulled back, staring at the vampire. "I _still_ can't! What is going on!?"

 

* * *

 

 

 

After Fantasio had calmed down, the Count had made him sit down, and after a quick science-filled explanation of what had happened (followed by an actually understandable explanation by Spirou) and a quick check to see the reporter was in good health after running around the countryside for almost two days the older vampire excused himself, leaving the two alone.

 

"I can't really remember much," Fantasio told him. "Except that I was lost. And so _alone_."

 

"But, wasn't it better?"

 

Upon seeing the confused look on the reporter's eyes, the vampire continued "I mean, even like that, and especially now that you got your memory back, you're _free_."

 

"Spirou? You don't mean free of _you_?"

 

The vampire nodded.

 

"Why would you even think of that?" Fantasio asked. "I wouldn't even be alive if it wasn't for that. If you hadn't shared your blood with me back then I would have died. I was shot and bleeding."

 

Spirou shook his head. That might have been the case, but it had still been his decision, not Fantasio's, to inject the unconscious man with his blood. "But anyway, now you don't have to."

 

"Spirou, look at me."

Fantasio smiled. "I was confused and scared at first, sure, but that was mostly for finding out there was this totally different species living in hiding amongst humans. And that my best friend was one of them. And older than me."

 

"Not by much. As far as vampires go, I'm still a child. And I make mistakes-"

 

The human took his hand, making him look him in the eye. "Are you saying you're not going to link us back again?"

 

Spirou looked at him, astonished. "You want to?"

 

"Of course I do."

 

"But, I could just totally take over your mind! And I can tell what you're feeling, and where you are!"

 

"But you never would turn me into a mindless slave. And as far as sensing me, well, it goes both ways. It's weird, not being able to sense you now. And besides, with all the adventuring we do, having increased healing ability doesn't hurt."

 

"Increased healing, which is meant to make your blood replenish quicker-" Spirou started, but stopped, giving him a slight smile. "You really do want to renew our bond?"

 

"Yes."

 

“Once you're fully healed,” Spirou told him, returning his smile. “I don't like feeling this alone either.”

 


End file.
